Constructed in honour of a Semitic god, the Temple of Bel was Palmyra’s main temple. Before its destruction by ISIL in August 2015, the temple occupied a prominent position in southeastern corner of the city — a spot occupied by a temple from the beginning of Palmyra’s history.
The last temple dated from the first century AD. It was Greco Roman in style, consisting of a temenos or walled precinct surrounding the temple building itself. Like many other architectural features of Palmyra, such as its tombs, the temple contained elements that demonstrated a marriage between eastern and western architectural features and religious expression.
History of the Temple of Bel
Excavation shows that the famous temple of Bel was not the first temple on the site archaeologists uncovered the remains of earlier structures within the temple precinct. The last temple complex — completed and dedicated to Bel in 32 AD — simply represented the final incarnation of the temple in Palmyra.
After the fall of Palmyra, the temple fell into disuse until after the Arab conquest of the seventh century AD, when it began a new life as an Arab fort. Masonry from the temenos and porticos rebuilt the defensive walls, creating in places a unique pattern of circular blocks that could still be seen in place when the author visited in 2008.
Despite this, much of the layout of the temenos and temple survived until its final destruction by ISIL in 2015.
The Temenos
A 15-metre high wall originally surrounded the temenos. In 2008, at the time of the author’s visit, all that remained of this original wall was the northern sector; Palmyra’s Arab conquerors reconstructed the rest. A classical style colonnade ran around the inside of the temenos, only parts of which remained standing.
The main feature still visible in 2008 was the processional way that ran from the temple complex entrance to the centre of the temple precinct. It was an unusual feature, essentially a sunken passageway that gradually rose into the temenos courtyard. At one point, the processional way passed underneath the temenos colonnade through a purpose-built archway that supported the columns above it.
This paved roadway was perhaps used for the ceremonial procession of animals designated for slaughter before the god. The point where the causeway levels out and joins the temple precinct was marked to the left by the sacrificial altar, complete with a pit to drain away the blood. To the right was a purification platform.
The Cella of the Temple of Bel
At first glance, the temple of Bel appeared to be a standard classical temple. A rectangular building, it was aligned on a north-south axis. A classical-style colonnade surrounded its cella, with the north and south cella walls decorated with Ionic columns.
However, several features deviated from the typical classical model. The entrances of classical temples were usually at the short end. However, the entrance to the temple of Bel was on the long western side.
In addition, stone beams connecting the outer walls of the cella with the surrounding colonnade were decorated with reliefs showing the details of local religious worship. The style and content of these reliefs show that the ceremonies were distinctly eastern. They depicted not only the local priests and gods but the details of the processions, which included mysteriously veiled women and lines of camels bearing small shrines on their backs.
Looking upwards, the final external deviation from the classical pattern was visible, edging the top of the temple’s colonnade. Here was a series of pyramid shapes not found on any western Greco Roman temple.
The inside of the temple displayed its Semitic character in other ways. Consisting of a long, central room lit by highly-placed windows, the cella has remains of stairways in three of its corners. These stairways led to rooftop terraces — something alien to any Roman or Greek temple. In addition, the northern and southern ends of the cella have two niches or small rooms reached by steps. Known as adytons, these niches acted as shrines to Bel and other unknown local deities.
The adytons retained impressive ceiling decorations until their destruction. Each was carved from a single slab of stone. The northern adyton displayed what is known as the Zodiac ceiling, named after its key features of seven gods and the twelve signs of the zodiac framed in a cupola. The southernmost adtyon’s ceiling consists of a circular arrangement of acanthus leaves ringed by a geometric circle set within a final square frame. Both of these reliefs were so unusual that they inspired early 18th century English visitors who rediscovered Palmyra to replicate the patterns in the dining rooms of their own country houses.
Resources
Gates, Charles, (2003) Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome. Routledge: London and New York.
